Long-tail Keywords Improve Your Dealership Website’s SEO

Keywords are important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) because they are what match customers to your dealership’s website. Using and implementing the right keywords will expand your reach, gain new customers, and result in higher Click Through Rates (CTRs). It can be a challenge to research or figure out which keywords will work, but we have found that long-tail keywords and regular updates are what produces the greatest results.

Introduction

Many car dealerships have turned to online and digital marketing to increase their sales. One of the most important automotive marketing strategies is to implement keywords on your dealership site. The definition of a keyword is a word or phrase that someone uses when they make a search on the internet. When someone enters keywords into the search bar, the search engine will try to match websites and web pages with those words or phrases, which will then be bolded on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

What are Long-tail Keywords?

According to Moz, long-tail keywords make up for 70% of your search traffic. Long-tail keywords consist of 3 or more words that are related to your specific niche or location. Strategizing your keyword campaigns by using long-tail keywords can increase your dealership’s revenue through more successful SEO.

How do Long-tail Keywords Work?

Long-tail keywords are more specific, and therefore they result in higher click-through rates (CTR). The traffic on each long-tail keyword is usually less than 100 searches per month, but each search has a higher chance of getting a conversion because of its relevance. Traffic and competition is often low for long-tail keywords, so they are more cost-effective. Searches with long-tail keywords often more accurately reflect the user’s intent.

Solutions

It is important to find relevant long-tail keywords for your car dealership site. Long-tail keywords tend to be less expensive on Google AdWords, and therefore you can use more keywords in your campaign compared to if you were bidding on short, high-volume keywords.

Finding Quality Long-tail Keywords
When you’re choosing keywords, you need to think about your target audience and what they’re searching for. Think like your potential customers. Car shoppers often use a variety of search words when they’re shopping for vehicles online. Make sure to do your research.

The first thing to do is to focus on finding quality main keywords that are 3 words or less with more than 200 monthly searches. You can use Google’s Keyword Planner tool to do your research. Find what short and long-tail keywords are being used by your competition to see what car buyers are searching for in your area.

After you have found your main keywords, you should then find longer phrases that specifically relate to your dealership. Some ideas to help you get started include: financing, the brands of vehicles that you sell, and car service or repairs. The phrases that you choose should be relevant to your car dealership and have a lower monthly search volume. It’s a good idea to find a few different variations of the phrases because of the different ways that people make searches.

Using Long-tail Keywords for Your Pay-Per-Click Campaigns
After you have selected your keywords and placed your bids, you should be monitoring them at least once a week. Search terms and trends can change frequently, so making regular updates will help you have a more successful campaign. The conversion rates and bounce rates can change drastically in a matter of days. What was working last week may not work the next week, so it is important to stay on top of your SEO for your dealership marketing.

Implementing Long-tail Keywords on Your Dealership Site
Aside from bidding on long-tail keywords for your AdWords campaigns, you should also be using them throughout your website. This will help increase your organic traffic without having to pay. The most important places to put these keywords is on the homepage, in the first few sentences of other pages, and in your page titles if possible. Make sure not to overdo it, though, because that can actually upset search engines.

Conclusion

Quality long-tail keywords are proven to improve your dealership website’s SEO, and therefore helping you increase your sales. Long-tail keywords can help your dealership rank higher in SERPs because they help people find exactly what they’re looking for. However, it can’t make up for poor SEO in other areas or a website that isn’t optimized for all devices. Before you focus on long-tail keywords, your dealer website needs to be responsive and mobile-friendly. Constantly updating your campaigns can also take a lot of time, which is why AutoJini offers AdWords services for our clients. We specialize in long-tail keywords and on-page SEO.